Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-06-13
FOREIGN.
PARLIAMENTARY TYRANNY

The Dangerous Precedent Set by the
Tory Party on Friday Last.
Record UnioB's Special C1bleGran-C opvriobtsd
bg the NelO York 7if6Hne.l
LosDoN, June 12th.-A few weeks ago !
telegrapbed a forecast of the Parliamentary
situation which some people considered
rather extravagant. will be pardoned il
Irecall what l did say, in view of what
happened in Parliament on Friday night.
l said the Tory Government would within
few weeks, in order to get the coercion
bill passed, resort to measures so violent
and arbitrary as to find no parallel in the
history of the House of Commons. One
should go back to the days when King
Charles violated his privileges, or when
the Cromwell troopers bundled out the
rump" Parliament with flat swords. It
is curious that Parnell on Friday night
used almost similar language to describe
Smiths urgency resolution. "The First
Lord of the Treasury" he said, proposes
to set up the most brazen tyranny ever
preached in this House since King Charles
entered in search of the five members |
pointed out two courses, one of which the
Government was bound to pursue. The
urgency motion moved by Smith on Friday
night, and carried yesterday with the aid
of the eiotuIe, was one OF these, with this
difference: The alternative has been fol-
lowed to lar more arbitrary length than
yentured to anticipate.
l further stated that the Government. in
expectation of a desperate resistance to
their proposal, had ordered the Millbank
prison TO be got ready for the reception of
members of Parliament, and for this state
ment l had an authority which put doubt
out of the question. The cells are still
ready, and if they were not filled with Irish
members on Friday night. and are not to
be filed by them next Friday, 1t is because
the Irish members have chosen to act SO as
to give no opportunity for imprisening
them. Smiths motion provided that on
Friday night the coercion bill be reported
from the committee. no matter what pro-
gress has been made, at 10 o'clock. Ali re-
naming clauses and amendments are to
be put forth without debate. Never was
there more violent motion made in a leg
isiatlve assembly. An urgency resolution
closing debate when the rules of the
House permitted unlimited obstruction.
bears no analogy to it. That required
the bill first to be voted urgent,
and it could not be voted urgent
except by majority of three to one, and
dlSO q ildlOIlly Vi tuEte 10 one Is necessary
to carry summarily each remaining amend
ment and clause. So perilous an inferfer-
ence with the liberty of Parliament did its
trainers conceive it to be that they only
asked the power to use il when they had
all but the unanimous support of the
House
This Tory resolution gives the power to
bare majority to take the bill out of the
hands of the House at any moment it likes,
declare it no longer to be discussed, and
pass it into law, with the voice of the
minority stilled by wholesale. 1t is pre-
cedent which strikes at the very life of
Parliament. What is worse, it is prece-
dent which will be followed with increas-
ing despotism by each party that succeeds
to power, after suffering from its application
while in the minority. If bare majority
is to be entitled to say when it pleases, that
all criticisms on its bills shall end, what is
the use of Parliamentary criticisms at all
ard what is to prevent the time from COM
ing when bare majority shall